Bravus Brewing is no stranger to The Sober Curator or my fridge. They are best known for their stouts, but their wide selection has graced these pages and many of their beers have a specific taste that I am not always a fan of. We’ve had Bravus Blonde, Orange Cream, and every Stout available, and now a special edition comes our way to treat our taste buds to tantalizing tantric sex. Sorry, I got carried away with my alliteration.
How Does It Pour?
This week we are drinking Blood Orange IPA from Bravus Brewing. From the name and the brand, I would expect a heavy citrus flavor accompanying their standard IPA, which I’m not a huge fan of, so this could go either way. Right off the bat, there is a huge citrus aroma that fills the air when you pop the can. Bravus Brewing must have made babies with orange peels to get this sweet scent out of a can.Â
After the thickness of their Mango Habanero IPA, I thought Bravus Brewing may have gone overboard with the orange, but when I pour it, it’s more reminiscent of a perfect IPA color and has very little orange or hazy thickness, at all. The head is crisp and white and the aroma begs you to take a sip to your lip and let it drip down your nip.
How Does It Taste?
When you get the beer in your face hole, the first thing you’ll notice is the orange. The flavor is pretty well balanced against the malt, barley, and hops, and the citrus peel almost cuts the worst after-taste you get from some of the beers from Bravus Brewing. The hops are subtle, but not so subtle you don’t know it’s an IPA. I would guess a little orange slice would complement this well and perhaps take away some of the undesirable aftertastes.
Untappd gives Blood Orange IPA by Bravus Brewing a 3 out of 5, and that’s about right, in my opinion. I may drop it to a 2.8, but to each their own. For those that are already fans of Bravus Brewing and their IPA, you will probably really enjoy this one, too. Go check it out and get your Bravus on, but leave your citrus fetish at the door, weirdo.
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NA BEERS AND 90s: Justin Lamb is dedicated to tasting great (and sometimes not so great) NA beers and showcasing his amazing collection of memorabilia from the ’90s.
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